Ch. SII.] EULIMAS on STAE-FISH. 191 



scooped holes in the ground, and warned the entomologist 

 to he careful in walking over a mine of stinging wasps. This 

 was Eumenes circinalis, and a true wasp (Vespa cincta) also 

 commonly occurred. A little Trigona was often caught in 

 the net, hut in the jungle these Hymenopterous insects are 

 rather dreaded, as it is not an uncommon thing to disturb 

 a nest of bees or wasps, which, thus alarmed, sting ad 

 libitum ; nor is it easy to avoid their weapons, a hasty re- 

 treat being of little avail, unless a pool is near, an immer- 

 sion in which is the best protection. 



Many other interesting species of insects were met with 

 here, such as Mantises, which might be usually obtained by 

 sweeping the long grass with the net; or the curious walking- 

 stick insects (Phasma), and among the various locusts the 

 large leaf-winged Platyphyllum. 



Upon a common species of Asterias (star-fish) lying half- 

 buried in the sand of the Labuan shore, I found numerous 

 minute shells, which I supposed at the time to be Stilifers. 

 They were of two species, and of the numerous individual 

 star-fishes nearly every one had some of these little mollusks 

 upon it. One was a slender, dark-coloured species, and 

 usually made its appearance upon the dorsal surface of the 

 Asterias; and the second was a stouter and larger pale 

 species, principally found in the angles of the arms or 

 rays, or upon the under surface. Few star-fishes were 

 entirely free firom them ; such were, in fact, the exceptions. 

 Some had three or four dark, and four or five pale specimens 

 upon them, while others had only one or perhaps two. 

 Maimed star-fishes, of which there were many, having lost 

 one or more of their rays, usually had no shells upon 

 them ; but young, smaU-sized specimens in nearly every 

 case possessed good specimens of the pale species. On 



